1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a detection device that detects a number of dots on dice in a gaming machine providing a dice game.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, various table games are well known and, for example, among table games, there exists a game genre of so-called dice games, as disclosed in WO 07/016,776, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0026947, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,351.
Among dice games, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,351, a game method is disclosed in which, upon a player placing a bet, a dealer throws dice and, in a case where a result thereof becomes a predetermined combination, the player is entitled to throw the dice, and has a chance to win a payout of a large amount. In addition, Sic Bo is known as an old and familiar dice game in Asia in which a player places a bet on predicted numbers of dots appearing on three thrown dice.
Sic Bo is well known as a dice game of ancient China, and is a dice game in which a player places a bet on predicted numbers of dots or a combination thereof appearing on three thrown dice. With such a dice game, a result of the bet is judged based on numbers of dots on dice, which come to rest after a plurality of dice are thrown.
In a case of a dice game performed by a plurality of players, a result of the bet can be judged by participants visually confirming the numbers of dots on the dice thrown. However, as the size of a game increases and thus the number of participants increases, it becomes difficult for each participant to visually confirm the number of dots on dice.
Meanwhile, when providing a game by virtualizing dice in a dice game and executing the game on a network or a computer, it may degrade a live aspect in which dice roll and come to rest or rendered effects for chances, rather than a game played by actually throwing dice.
On the other hand, in a case of actually throwing dice and showing that dice roll, it is necessary to read a number of dots on dice steadily, quickly, accurately, and constantly. In a case in which the number of dots on dice can not be read accurately, it may affect advancement of a game. It may also reduce the motivation of a player toward a game if a situation in which the number of dots on dice can not be accurately read continues. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the situation in which the number of dots on dice can not be accurately read.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a detection device that can detect a number of dots on dice accurately in a gaming machine that provides a dice game in which dice are actually thrown.
Furthermore, in a case of performing a game by actually throwing a die in a dice game, it is necessary to roll the die. More specifically, in a SIC BO game, a plurality of dice is caused to roll, and as a result of which a bet result that has been placed on is judged. Therefore, causing the dice to roll itself is an important rendered effect of the game. In order to make die rolling be visually recognizable to multiple players, it is necessary to show movement of the die in as large a scale as possible to be recognizable by the players, for example, such as to show the die bouncing many times. Accordingly, in a case of causing the die to roll by oscillating a field supporting the die, it is necessary to move the field itself enough to be visually recognizable to the players. In such a situation, however, there rises a problem in that it tends to cause deterioration and damage to a member connecting between a moving part and a detection device main body due to the motion of the moving part.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a detection device that can prevent deterioration and damage due to the moving part motion and can detect a number of dots on a die accurately in a gaming machine that provides a dice game in which the die is actually thrown.